Farnham Town manager Paul Johnson was delighted with his side’s character after they came back from 2-0 down to pick up a highly-impressive 3-2 win at Combined Counties Premier Division South leaders Abbey Rangers on Saturday.

Town started brightly, and hit the post early on, but the visitors found themselves 2-0 down at half time.

Jamie Hoppitt came on at the break and soon pulled a goal back for Farnham in the 48th minute with a header, before Albie Sheehan-Cozens’ strike from distance on 54 minutes made it 2-2.

Town pushed for a winner, and were rewarded in the 90th minute when Hoppitt fired home off the post.

“Showing the character we did is a great way of winning a game,” said Johnson.

“In truth, the scoreline flattered Abbey though.

“We should have been 3-0 up at half time, so we were scratching our heads at how we were 2-0 down when we had been the better side.

“So, the message to the boys at half time was that we had played well, despite being 2-0 down. We told them to go out and do the same things, but cut out the mistakes and be ruthless in front of goal.

“We told them if we get the next goal the momentum will be on our side.”

Johnson was delighted with the impact his substitutes made to help spark Farnham’s comeback against Abbey.

“We made a couple of substitutions at half time, and Jamie got the first goal and the winner, which is nice,” he said.

“All four substitutes we brought on had an impact and made a difference.”

Managers are now able to influence matches even more with their changes with clubs now permitted to make five substitutions – and Johnson admits he is a fan of the rule and the greater tactical flexibility it offers managers.

“Being able to make five substitutions now means you can be quite tactical with your team selection,” he said.

“Against certain sides you might want to pick a physical team and then have five technical players to come on as substitutes and help change the game.

“For other games you might want to approach your team selection differently.

“Personally, I like having the option of five substitutes – it helps to keep more players involved in games and keep the squad happy.

“At this level of football player availability is not always the best, so the more players who are involved in matches the better.”